No new electricity connection for defaulter local bodies in Coimbatore region

COIMBATORE: TANGEDCO has decided not to provide new connections to local bodies having pending dues. Recently, all Chief Engineers (CEs) were sent a letter by the corporation's director MA Helen regarding the same. A source in the corporation said that the panchayat offices and village administrative office, which come under local bodies, have not paid electricity bills for many months now. Even after conducting a meeting with the officials of local bodies in Coimbatore, the pending dues continue to accumulate. "As per section 14 of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Supply Code (TNESC), the government should pay electricity bills to within 20 days after the meter reading is taken. But, TANGEDCO officials do not show interest in disconnecting power supply to the government offices due to various reasons, which is against the norms. The pending dues in the State is over `1,000 crore," sources added. A top official in TANGEDCO (Coimbatore region) said that all measures have been taken to collect the pending dues from local bodies through the district administration. The official added that the corporation did not disconnect the power supply considering the pandemic situation.

EB bill dues in Coimbatore region

1. Village panchayat – Rs 62.68 crore

2. Town panchayat – Rs 5.78 crore

3. Municipality – Rs 17.18 crore

4. Corporation – Rs 41.26 crore